Posts Tagged ‘blog’

I have not blogged recently because I’ve been a bit busy with work. The past few weekends have seen us selling out a fair bit, which is good for the hotel, but it also means some extremely grueling days that are quite long and exhausting. I do not mind the work but I find that when I get home most of my day is gone and I find myself sleeping. This summer has gone by fairly quickly and I’m not so sure that I’m ready for school again. Will blog shortly about something more interesting than my boredom and lack of blogging. Cheers.

This weekend I was listening to Rex Murphy on the CBC and the topic was NEWS.

This week on Cross Country Checkup:

The business of news is changing. Blogs, podcasts, online aggregators are all nibbling at the heels of mainstream media such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines …and the recession is weakening them further.

Newspapers all over the U.S. are downsizing, some are closing their printshops and moving online. In Canada, several broadcasters are struggling and they’re cutting back.

What do you think? What effect will it have on the news? How do you get your news?

I tried calling in but the show is far too popular and as a result the lines were clogged. But I will throw in my two cents here.

I think the internet is wonderful and that it has made news much richer and easier to consume. Think about the old days, sorry to those who would rather re-live those times. 10 Years ago if you wanted news in your city you were most likely limited to a finite number of newspaper and media outlets. A handful of television stations and then your local newspaper, at most two or three in a city. But in today’s modern world, what with all the doo dads and internets and such… we are not as limited.

I consume my news from a variety of sites: CNN, NYTIMES, SLATE, CBC, The Guardian, Mefi (Metafilter), and various other blogs. I also consume a number of blog aggregators that link up with specific themes and topics I am interested in: BritLitBlogs (exactly what it purports to be a site devoted to British Literature Blogs). Some of these sites lean politically to the left and others to the right. And almost all of them contain sections that allow for discussion or commentary on various news or media that is being reported on.

Now of course there are some drawbacks to having this much media bombardment. It is far too easy now to only consume news or media that is associated with the politics that individuals prefer and this can marginalize and estrange people from the real world into thinking that news only has one particular filter or lens. Also, how does a person wade through this mess of the internet with so much to read and stay caught up on. Also, we now have the horror that is 24/7 news, an endless cycle of meaningless reporting on news that is not actually news.

Still despite these drawbacks the internet has brought the news to us in our homes at a very low cost. I can read the TimesofIndia from my couch at home, something that was unfathomable just years ago (cost and accessibility).

I am still a bit weary of the fact that people are now consuming news from sites like facebook or twitter. Yes, it is amazing that people now have the ability to report first hand accounts of news or action that is occurring in front of them, and it does provide other readers the ability to step beyond filters of corporations and media groups that regulate and restrict certain types of news, but then again this also allows joe-blow idiot to spout his inane commentary and views in unintelligent non-academic professional ways. [ The irony that I am doing just such a thing. ]

So what are your thoughts on the changing face of news? Is newsprint dead, should we just let that go the way so many large newspapers have been doing the past few years and shifting online. Is this shift online more problematic? Are we becoming too obssessed with consuming news and the fact that we can now tune in at any moment and be informed of everything and anything, does this provide us with too much content, content that is not edited properly or screened for idiocy???

Yes, I’m a day late but I was quite lazy and tired yesterday with work and festivities the night before.

It has been a fun year with the blog. I’ve enjoyed sharing all of the good literature and film that I’ve come across. I also want to thank those that click each week and listen to my inane rantings and ravings. Another round of university begins, and pretty soon I’ll be bitching about papers and readings that I have no time for.

Not much to report, I’ve been working a fair bit trying to pay off some debt.

Although, I do have a gift for you, my devoted blog readers. The gift of famous literary persona, in blog form. Thanks to our culture of voyeurism, and man’s incessant need to catalog and chronicle; various scholarly institutions have seen fit to release the diaries of famous literary celebrities in blog form.

Yes, another blog about blogging. Been very busy lately with presentations (85 in Medeviel Text & Social Control), papers, and theory readings. It’s been a harsh couple of weeks but I have a bit of a break this weekend with Cdn. Thanksgiving being a long one.

It seems WordPress likes to update themes and change styles without telling their users. A new update to the “journalist” theme, the minimalist design of this blog that we’ve all come to love and enjoy so much was recently implemented.

I did not enjoy the new style, so if the blog was looking weird recently, it should be back to normal. Simple, clean, elegant. Cheers.

Hi, let me introduce myself. I’m the self aware consciousness of this particular blog, ‘ahems and ahahs’. You can call me ‘hem’ for short. I look around the world, the blogosphere and I’m at a loss for words, LITERALLY! I’m amazed at how consistent some people are with their blog postings. Certain blogs I frequent have book reviews and updates every single day. While I’m sure some of these blogs are bringing in some economic rewards for their hard work, many are like me, lost in a sea of randomness, posting simply because it is enjoyable.

How are many of these blog sites maintained on such a regular basis. I mean, I like most people enjoy going out from time to time and living a bit of life. I’ve been known to sample some of what the on-line red-light district has to offer, booze, women, general debauchery. Yet these sites, you know of them, you’ve been to their blogs, they’re always reviewing a book, or interviewing an author, or a random post of some kind. I wish I had their energy, but alas I’m approaching the age of thirty and we just do not move with as much vigor as these youngsters do.

Well, I wish I had more to offer but I’ve been fairly busy lately and I’m just eagerly awaiting the autumn season. I anticipate to have some topics worth blogging about, but until then I’ll wish you a good day.

Britain’s pre-eminent prize for political writing, is publishing George Orwell’s diaries as a blog. From 9th August 2008, Orwell’s domestic and political diaries (from 9th August 1938 until October 1942) will be posted in real-time, exactly 70 years after the entries were written.

Orwell’s ‘domestic’ diaries begin on 9th August 1938/2008; his ‘political’ diaries (which are further categorised as ‘Morocco’, ‘Pre-war’ and ‘Wartime’) begin on 7th September 1938/2008.

The diaries are exactly as Orwell wrote them. Where there are original spelling errors, they are indicated by a ° following the offending word.

We are extremely grateful to Peter Davison, whose footnotes (from the Complete Works) are used with his permission. Where the Orwell Prize has attached additional footnotes, they are clearly indicated.

We are also very grateful to Bill Hamilton and A. M. Heath, who hold the rights to Orwell’s works. A. M. Heath reserve all rights to the diaries.

Some interesting tidbits into the mind of Orwell, but then occasionally there are also some very mundane entry items, but I guess this is what makes it a real life diary entry, life can sometimes be dull that way.